MILAN, Mo., town and county-seat of Sullivan County on the Quincy, Omaha and Kansas City and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroads, about 100 miles east by north of Saint Joseph. It is in an agricultural and stock-raising region, and… Continue Reading
Sometimes road conditions require a quick snapshot, when you’re not able to hang out for very long. What was the barn used for, when was it abandoned, what is its future?
On a quiet country road, an old abandoned church sits, surrounded by a cemetery. The cemetery is well maintained, and still visited, but the church is no longer needed, so it sits abandoned, and open to the elements.
Frozen in time, it seems, Bethel, north of Shelbyville, is one of the more interesting towns I have visited, and is a must-see for those interested in Antebellum Missouri. One of the largest collections of buildings from before the Civil… Continue Reading
The road heading north from Shelbina into Shelbyville, the county seat, is lined with abandoned houses. An elevator dominates the east side of the road. Relatively isolated away from major highways, the town is still small. The courthouse, designed by… Continue Reading
Starting this week, I’m beginning a series called “Towns I saw on the weather map in college but never visited.” The first town is Shelbina, sitting on US Highway 36 in Shelby County. Its location on rail lines and the now… Continue Reading
Over thirteen years have passed since I graduated Truman State and left Kirksville and Northeast Missouri. It’s been almost exactly a year since I last visited, when I gave a series of lectures about a series of topics, including this… Continue Reading
Update: The Clark County Commissioners consented to a judgment on April 10, 2011, agreeing to repay $20,000 of the $57,500 grant they had received from the State of Missouri to renovate the old courthouse they had demolished. Your tax dollars… Continue Reading
I found some old photos I took back in 1998 of the John R. Kirk House, the home of a former president of Truman State University. I lived across the street from it for two years, and even back then,… Continue Reading